


Shame and Memories - Part 3 of The Telephone Rang

by LadyOscar



Series: The Telephone Rang [3]
Category: Hawaii Five-O (1968)
Genre: Anal Sex, Crime, Friendship, M/M, Oral Sex, Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-02
Updated: 2011-06-24
Packaged: 2017-10-20 00:52:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/207071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyOscar/pseuds/LadyOscar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old boyfriend of Steve's shows up, causing trouble for Steve, Danny, and Five-O.  Based on the original Hawaii Five-O (1968) TV series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Some Interesting Pornography

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based on the idea that in the universe of “The Telephone Rang,” instead of having an old girlfriend show up, as in the third-season episode “Time and Memories,” Steve would naturally have an old boyfriend.
> 
> I recommend reading “The Second Confession” and “It Takes More than One,” parts 1 and 2 of “The Telephone Rang” before reading this. If you haven’t, the most important thing to know is that Steve and Danny are lovers. Chin knows; Kono doesn’t.

“Good morning, Danny,” Steve McGarrett said, giving his partner a gentle wakeup kiss.

“Mm.  Good morning, Steve,” Danny Williams answered, looking up at him with a sleepy smile.  “What time is it?”

“Just early enough if we hurry,” Steve replied, kissing him again.  “Come on, let’s hit the shower.”

In the shower Steve shampooed his hair, then worked on lathering Danny with soap, running his hands over Danny’s muscular shoulders, then down his chest and around to his back, while Danny returned the favor.  Steve closed the distance between them and kissed him, their already-erect cocks brushing against each other.

“Ah....” Danny moaned, as Steve reached to take him in one soapy hand, sliding up and down on his rock-hard shaft.  He reached for Steve in turn, and they stood beneath the warm cascade of water, moving in unison towards a mutual climax.

“Danny!”  Steve groaned as he came, followed soon after by his partner.  They stood embracing for a few precious moments, then quickly cleaned up and stepped out of the shower to get ready for work.

“We’re going to have to hurry if we don’t want to be late,” Danny said, looking at the kitchen clock.

“Want to make us some sandwiches for our lunch while I fix breakfast?” Steve asked.  “I think there’s some leftover chicken in the bottom drawer.”

“Mustard, no mayo, right?” Danny asked.

“Yeah, thanks.”

They sat down to a breakfast of fresh fruit, coffee, and juice.

“With you feeding me breakfast and me making sure you eat lunch, I’m surprised we haven’t both gained ten pounds,” Danny observed.

“Mm.  Must be all the exercise we get,” Steve said with a suggestive smile.

Danny blushed.

They kissed at the door before heading for the elevator.  “See you at the office,” Steve told Danny, turning off for the parking garage, Danny continuing to where he had discreetly parked his car on the street around the corner.

* * *

It was a long day at Five-O.  A photographer had been found shot to death.  He had apparently been a very prolific creator of pornography, but even so, some of the deposits in his bank account were suspiciously large.

McGarrett sighed, rubbing his eyes.  It was after nine.  _I wish I could have had dinner with Danny at home instead of a cardboard carton of saimin at my desk.  Ah, well, goes with the job...._

“Danno, why don’t you go back to your place and get some rest.  You and Kono can tackle the pornography tomorrow.  I’m going to go over these bank statements tonight, see if I can find a pattern.”

“Goodnight, Steve.  Don’t stay here all night,” his second-in-command admonished him.

“I won’t.  Goodnight, Danny,” McGarrett wished him with a tired smile.

* * *

The telephone rang.

McGarrett reached over and turned on the bedside lamp, then picked up the receiver, looking sleepily at the clock.  1 AM.

“McGarrett,” he said, holding the receiver to his ear as he lay under the covers, unwilling to surrender completely to the interruption.

“Steve?” said the voice at the other end of the phone.

“Yes, who is this?”

“You don’t remember my voice?  I’m hurt.”

The fog in McGarrett’s brain was clearing.  _“Eric?”_

“You _do_ remember me.”  The voice said smugly.

“Eric, it’s one in the morning.  Why are you calling me?” Steve asked in some exasperation.

“I just....I saw your name in the newspaper....”  Eric said uncertainly.

“Are you in some sort of trouble?”

“No, no, of course not!” he said quickly.

“Are you drunk?”

“No.  Do I sound drunk?”

“No, but then what do you want?” McGarrett demanded.

“I...I don’t know, but....”

“Well, if there’s nothing I can help you with, I’ll say goodnight,” Steve said briskly.

“Goodnight, Steve....”

 _That was odd,_ McGarrett thought, reaching to replace the receiver.  _It must be ten years, and he suddenly calls me for no reason?  Well, no point in losing sleep over it._ As he drifted back into unconsciousness, his last thought was, _I’m glad Danny isn’t here tonight...explaining Eric in bed in the middle of the night could be awkward._

* * *

Danny and Kono pushed the cart loaded with big cardboard boxes between them, steering it into an empty conference room.

“I can’t believe we have to inventory all this sick stuff,” Kono complained.  “What are we, the vice squad, now?”

“We suspect he was a blackmailer, and now he’s been murdered.  That makes it our problem, whether we like it, or not,” Danny reminded him, lifting boxes onto the room’s central table.

Kono sighed, eyeing the boxes with disfavor.  “Why couldn’t it be our job to look at pictures of naked wahine, instead?”

“Here, I’ll start on this box, you take that one,” Williams told him, sitting down at the table.  “Sort by subject and keep an eye out for anyone you recognize.  Someone with a reputation to preserve would be a better blackmail target.”

They started in on their respective boxes.  The dead pornographer had apparently specialized in men.  _I’m glad they’re not boys.  This could be a lot creepier,_ Danny thought.

The first envelope Danny flipped through held pictures of a muscular man posing in a bodybuilder’s outfit with weights.  He made a note of the contents and paperclipped it to the front, then set it aside.

The next showed a younger man posed artistically on a couch in Hollywood’s idea of what a Greek god might wear, then in just his sandals and gold-painted laurel wreath.  Danny clipped a note to the envelope.

The next had pictures of two men together, one dark-haired, the other fair.  They were posed on a lanai overlooking the ocean.  Danny flipped past shots of them looking at each other longingly, then holding their stiff cocks in their own hands.  Next standing closer, holding each other’s cocks.  Then the dark-haired man kneeling in front of the blond, apparently giving him a blow job.  Now the blond returning the favor.  Now the dark-haired man had come, showering the blonde’s face and chest with drops of liquid which the photographer had, with surprising artistry, caught sparkling in the sun.

 _Wow, that’s explicit!  God, tell me this isn’t turning me on.  It doesn’t help that from the back that guy’s hair reminds me a bit of Steve’s.  Don’t think of that.  Next picture,_ Danny thought _._   The blond was bent over with his hands on the low lanai railing.  He looked back at the other man, who knelt behind him, reaching around to stroke his cock.  In the next picture...  _Do people_ do _that?_   _Next picture._ _I guess I technically knew about that, but...I’ve never actually seen...never really thought about the_ mechanics _of it...._

He flipped to the next picture, and the next.  _Their expressions...surely that must hurt?  But they both certainly seem to be enjoying themselves_... _Oh, God!_   Danny bolted from the room.

* * *

McGarrett entered the conference room and walked over to the table where his detectives had set up their work area.  “Find anything yet, Kono?” he asked the big Hawaiian sitting at the table flipping through stacks of prints with a disgruntled expression.

“Just a whole lot of disgusting pictures,” Kono told him, looking up from his task.  “I guess whatever Danny was looking through made him sick—he ran out of here a minute ago, said something about the washroom.”

McGarrett picked up the sheaf of pictures Danny had dropped on the table and flipped through them.  _Very explicit.  I see they’re...oh, no.  Has Danny ever really considered the...further possibilities...of sex between men?  I hoped to introduce him to this gradually, gently, and now he’s suddenly come face-to-face with it in some pervert’s collection, and it made him sick.  Beautiful._

Steve sighed, and wrote a note, clipping it to the envelope.  “I suppose I may as well take a turn,” he said, tossing the envelope onto the “done” stack.  “Go ahead and take a break, Kono.”

“Thanks, boss.  This stuff is making me lose my appetite!”  Kono left the room with alacrity.

McGarrett sat down in Danny’s place and took up the task of looking through the prints.

This envelope had pictures of a tall, thin man masturbating.  Note, paperclip.

The next held pictures of a threesome in front of a fake fireplace.  _I’m glad Danny didn’t see_ this _one,_ Steve thought, raising his eyebrows _._   Note, paperclip.

A man in a cowboy outfit, wearing chaps but no pants, wielding a rope.  Note, paperclip.

The photos in the next showed a lithe but well-muscled man maybe five years younger than Steve.  He had wavy blond hair under a yacht captain’s cap, handsome, finely-chiseled features, and was posing in the cabin of a luxury yacht wearing nothing but the hat and a huge erection.

* * *

Unnoticed by his boss, Danny had sheepishly sidled back into the room.  At Steve’s sharp intake of breath he stepped to look at the picture in McGarrett’s hand.

 _He certainly looks like a model.  Or Apollo.  Is he Steve’s type?  We may both be blondes, but I know I don’t look like that,_ Danny thought _._

“Admiring the boat?” he asked Steve, somewhat acidly.

“What?”  McGarrett looked up, startled.  “No.  I...I....”  He glanced away, not meeting Danny’s eyes.  “I have to...make some phone calls,” he said, hurriedly standing up.  “You carry on here, Danno.”  He strode from the room.

 _He took that envelope with him...._ Danny observed.

* * *

An hour later, Kono came into the conference room where Danny was still working at sorting through the boxes of pictures.  “The boss sent me to fetch you.  We got a new case, bruddah!”

Danny rode with McGarrett to the building where Brian Howard had been found dead in his rented luxury condo.  _I wish I could ask him about that photo.  Or maybe I don’t...._ he thought.

On the twelfth floor they entered the Howard condo.  It was lavishly furnished and had a beautiful ocean view, but the scent of blood hung heavily on the air.  The dead man was lying on the floor near the open lanai doors in a pool of blood.

“Three gunshots to the chest,” the HPD officer on the scene told them.  “The wife came home from shopping and found him like this.  The medical examiner thinks he’s been dead about two hours, give or take.”

“Where is the wife?” McGarrett asked.

“In the bedroom, with Duke and her son.”

In the bedroom they found an elegantly-coiffed platinum blonde woman wearing an expensively casual flowered dress.  She sitting in a chair sobbing artistically into a lacy handkerchief.  “Who would want to do this to Brian?” she wailed, giving McGarrett an appealing look from under the lashes of  her big blue eyes.  A muscular young man in his twenties stood at her side, his hand on her shoulder.

“That’s what we’re here to find out, Mrs. Howard,” he told her, pulling another chair up in front of hers and sitting down.  “Now, what time did you last see your husband alive?”

“This morning, at breakfast.  Then I went out for the day, and I just got back half an hour ago, and found... _oh!”_ she gave a sob.

“Do you know what your husband’s plans were for the day?” McGarrett asked gently.

“I’m not exactly sure.  I think he had some sort of meetings.”

“Does he have a secretary here in Hawaii?”

“No, he likes to pretend we’re on vacation.  As if he knew the meaning of the word!” she said indignantly.

“How did he keep track of his appointments?”

“Oh, he had this little book, he couldn’t be without it.  Men always have to be so busy, to convince themselves they’re important, don’t they, Mr. McGarrett?”

Steve turned to Danny, standing behind his chair.  “Danno, see if HPD has found that book.”

Danny went back into the living room.  “Did you find any sort of appointment book on the body?” he asked the officer watching the forensic team do their work.

“Yes, it’s here,” he said, crossing the room to a desk where a number of small personal items had been arranged.  “We haven’t fingerprinted it yet.”

Danny carefully turned the pages with his pen.  He copied down the information for that day’s date and returned to the bedroom to report to McGarrett.

“Steve, it looks like he had two appointments today.  In the morning he met an M. Stoltz, Consolidated Electronics, and at two-thirty it just says “Kealani”.

“Mrs. Howard, do either of those ring a bell?” McGarrett asked her.

“My husband owns Consolidated Electronics.  And...and Kealani is his yacht,” she said, dabbing at her eyes.

“Do you know why he would have written down that name?  Would he have been meeting someone there?”

“Probably the captain,” she said.  “He doesn’t sail her himself, of course.  He was taking some friends out fishing tomorrow.”

“Do you happen to have the captain’s name?”

“I think his card’s around here somewhere.”  She went to a small desk and sorted through the contents of a drawer.  She extracted a card and handed it to McGarrett, who raised his eyebrows, then put it in his pocket.

“Now, Mr. Howard,” McGarrett began to the young man.

“My name’s Harrison.  I’m her son by a previous marriage.”

“Mr. Harrison.  How did you spend today?”

“At the beach with my friends.  We went surfing, talked to some girls....”

“Can these friends vouch for you the whole afternoon?”

“Well, sure, I guess.  I mean, we weren’t together every second, but we were all on the same beach...”

“OK, give me their names.”

* * *

Back at Five-O headquarters, McGarrett assigned tasks.  “Chin, when Che gets done with that appointment book, check out everything in it back at least a month, when the Howards arrived in Hawaii.  Kono, check Mrs. Howard’s alibi.  She says she went to the beauty parlor and then shopping.  See if people can vouch for her the whole time, or if she could have come home and shot her husband.  Then work on the son.  Do the friends alibi him for the whole time, and would they lie for him?  Danno, go talk to Stoltz at Consolidated Electronics.”


	2. Enter Eric

When Danny got back to the Five-O office, Steve was on the phone with the governor.  He got a cup of coffee and waited in the outer office, sitting on the corner of Jenny’s desk, chatting.  Hearing the front office door open and close, he turned to see who had come in.

Williams almost dropped his coffee.  He had seen this man’s handsome features, wavy blond hair, and captain’s hat before.  The only thing that was unfamiliar was the rest of his white uniform, since in the pornographer’s picture he hadn’t been wearing it.

“I’m looking for Steve McGarrett,” the blond man said, glancing around the room.

“He’s...he’s occupied at the moment,” Danny managed to say.  “You can wait out here.”

“I see.  And you are?”

“Dan Williams, second in command of Five-O,” Danny said, standing up to his full height and feeling unaccountably annoyed that it was considerably less than that of the other man.  _Why should I feel the need to justify myself to this guy?_

“Steve’s assistant, huh?”  The stranger gave Danny a frankly assessing look up and down with his brilliant blue eyes.

Danny flushed.  “And you?”

“Oh, an old friend of Steve’s.  From his Navy days,” he said, pouring himself a paper cup of coffee without being invited, then lounging against the adjacent bookshelf with the easy grace of a cat.

Dan finally made his brain start working again.  “Wait...are you Brian Howard’s yacht captain?” he demanded.

“That too, yes,” the uniformed man said with a small smile.

Their exchange was interrupted by the buzzer on Jenny’s intercom as McGarrett informed her he was finished with his call.

“Danny, Steve’s ready for you now,” Five-O’s secretary told the young detective, curious about the atmosphere between Williams and the other man.

Danny entered Steve’s office, followed without invitation by the tall stranger.

Steve stood up from behind his desk, eyes widening as he looked from one of them to the other.

 _He doesn’t look happy to see us together,_ Danny thought.  _Nervous?  Guilty?_

“Steve!”  the stranger greeted the head of Five-O cheerfully, brushing past Williams and walking around the desk to warmly clasp Steve’s hand.  “It’s been too long.  Now, perhaps we should talk in private?” He glanced meaningfully over at Danny.

“Mm, perhaps so,” McGarrett said, also looking over at his second-in-command.  “Danny, would you mind making your report later?  It’s not urgent, is it?”

“What?  N...no, not urgent,” Danny told him, taken aback.

“Then, could you wait outside?”  Steve asked.

“Sure,”  Danny said flatly.  He turned and left, carefully closing the door behind him with a precise click.

 _I can’t believe he threw me out of his office.  Who is this guy to Steve?  And how is he involved in this case?_ Williams thought as he walked through the outer office on the way back to his cubicle.

“An old friend of Steve’s,” Lani, the pretty local typist, was saying dreamily to Jenny as they chatted beside her desk.  “I wonder if he’d introduce me?”

“I saw him first!” Jenny said.

 _I have an awful feeling that he’s the kind of “old friend” who wouldn’t be interested in either of you...._ Danny thought.

* * *

Danny sat at his desk, failing to get anything done, until he heard the door to McGarrett’s office open.  “So long, Steve!  Until we meet again,” the blond man called into the office before closing the door behind himself.  He crossed the outer office, giving Jenny a little wave as he passed her desk, then stuck his head into Danny’s cubicle.  “It was so nice to meet you,” he said, smiling at Williams in a way that most people would undoubtedly have found charming.

“Any friend of Steve’s,” Danny said, trying to make his smile look genuine.

Jenny buzzed him to say that McGarrett wanted to see him.

Danny walked into Steve’s office. “Are you ready for my report, Boss?” he asked crisply.

“Danny...come out to the lanai for a minute,” Steve said.  He closed the door behind them and turned to lean on the railing, looking across at Honolulu Hale.  “I’m sorry about that earlier,” he said, turning his head to face Danny, standing at the railing beside him.  “You remember I told you about Cathy Wallis, how she pretended to be my girlfriend while I was in the Navy, to hide the fact that I was...was seeing a man?”

“Yeah,” his partner answered, looking up at the taller man with his arms crossed.

McGarrett turned away.  “Eric Hagen, Howard’s captain, was that man.  It must be nearly ten years since I saw him last....”

“I see.  And how is he involved in this case?”  _Why didn’t you just tell me he was your ex?  Why act so guilty about it if you haven’t seen him for years, and why ask me to leave the office while you talked to him?_ Danny thought but didn’t ask.

“I don’t know,” Steve said, sounding uncertain.  “He called me in the middle of the night two days ago, out of the blue, and wouldn’t say why.  And that pornographer had his picture.  Eric says he met Howard about the plan for the fishing trip, just routine, and that he posed for the pictures to make some easy money.”

“I see.  Well, thank you for telling me,” Danny said.  _Too little, too late._   He turned from the railing, opened the lanai door, and went back into Steve’s office.

“Danno....” Steve turned from the railing and called after him, then gave up and followed him into the office.

Danny stood in front of the desk to made his report.  “Stoltz says their meeting was routine bank business, that Howard came to Hawaii every six months or so and checked in with him.”

“How did he seem?” his boss asked, perching on a corner of the desk.

“Nervous, I would say, but I couldn’t put my finger on what was bothering him.  I think we should take a look at their books,” Williams suggested.

“I’ll get a warrant.  In the meantime, see if you can dig up some of Howard’s other business associates, try to get a handle on the state of his affairs.  You might have to go to Texas.”

“OK, Steve.”  _Does he want to get me out of the way for some reason?  Some reason having to do with this Eric Hagen?_

* * *

Later that afternoon, the team assembled in McGarrett’s office to report.  “Che says the gun that killed Howard was definitely the one registered to him.  The wife said he kept it in his desk, loaded,” reported Chin, standing in front of Steve’s desk.  He flipped through his notebook.  “Crazy haole.  The appointment book had a beauty.  Two days ago Howard had a meeting with an ‘R. Matthewson’.  Ring any bells?”

“Our pornographer,” said Danny, standing in front of the window at the end of the desk.  “On the day he was killed.  We haven’t found any pictures of Howard or his wife, but....”  _What should I say about the pictures of Hagen?_

“There were pictures of the yacht captain,” McGarrett said, swiveling his desk chair to face the others.

“That’s weird,” Kono said.  “And the guy turns up murdered.  Why?”

“That’s what we need to find out,” McGarrett said, standing and starting to pace.  He stopped and turned to the Hawaiian detective, standing stalwartly beside Chin Ho.  “Kono, what about those alibis?”

“Mrs. Howard was definitely at the beauty parlor in the morning.  Then she had lunch with a friend.  But the afternoon...she was at Ala Moana Shopping Center, and the clerks in several stores remember her, but they can’t pin down the times definitely,” Kono reported.  “She could’ve been gone for an hour at the right time, and that’s more than she’d need to make it to their building and back.  As for the son...his friends are a bunch of beach bums.  Four of them said he was with them the whole time, couldn’t have left, but I think they’d lie for him easy.”

“Well,” McGarrett said, a knuckle raised to his lips, “We may have to break that alibi.”  He walked back behind his desk, facing his detectives across it.  “For now, Chin, I want you to go over the lab report from the Matthewson case.  See if there’s anything that ties in to anybody in this case.  Kono, take an accountant over to Consolidated Electronics and go over their books.”

When the others had gone, Danny perched on the edge of the Steve’s desk.  He asked, “Why do you think Howard met with the pornographer?  He could have been blackmailing Hagen so Hagen killed him, but then why kill Howard?  And Howard could have found out about the pictures and threatened to fire Hagen, but how would that have happened after Matthewson was already dead?  Nothing seems to make sense.”  He shook his head.

 Steve was looking out the lanai door.  “Whatever else Eric Hagen may be, I can’t believe he’d kill two people over losing a job,” he said, turning back to the room.  “Danno, I want you to talk to the Howards’ friends.  See if husband and wife were getting along, and what the relationship was like between the stepfather and the stepson.”

“OK, Steve,” Danny said, standing.  “Should I come by for dinner tonight?”

“No,” McGarrett said, not meeting Danny’s eyes.  “I’m going to have to work late on this one.”

* * *

Chin came into McGarrett’s office the next morning holding a report.  “Jackpot, boss!” he said, passing the folder across the desk to his boss.

“What did you find?” Steve asked, opening it.

“There was a pair of sunglasses at the scene where Matthewson was found.  They were on the floor near the body and had his blood on them, and they also had two unknown prints.  We printed Eric Hagen to compare with the prints at the Howard scene, and it’s his prints on the sunglasses,” the Chinese detective told him.  “And one more thing, Steve.  The gun Matthewson was shot with?  It was Brian Howard’s, the same one that killed him.”

 _Oh, Eric, what have you gotten yourself into this time?_ thought Steve.  He sighed.  “OK, thanks, Chin.”

McGarrett stood and reached for his jacket.

As Chin left the office, Danny came in, holding a report.  “Headed out, Steve?” he asked his boss.

“Yeah, Danno.  I have to go talk to Eric.  Is that the report on your conversation with the friends?”

“Yes.  You want it now?” Danny asked.

“When I get back will do,” Steve said, straightening his tie.

Williams looked up at his partner uncertainly.  “Shall I come along?”

“No...no, you stay here and keep digging into the financial records,” his boss told him, giving him a pat on the shoulder as he strode from the office.

* * *

McGarrett knocked on the door of Hagen’s suite at the Ilikai Hotel.

“Steve!  What a nice surprise,” Eric said, throwing the door open.

“Nice place,” McGarrett commented, looking around the spacious accommodations as he stepped inside.  He raised his eyebrows and looked at Hagen.  “I didn’t realize being a yacht captain paid so well.”

Eric smiled.  “Mr. Howard is very generous.  He pays to put me up when we come to Hawaii.  Steve...I assume this isn’t a social call?”

“No,” McGarrett confirmed.

“Well, have a seat,” the blonde man said, gesturing to a pair of comfortable-looking armchairs.  “You’re free to grill me as much as you want.”  He sat and gave McGarrett a smile that didn’t touch the wary expression in his eyes.

Steve took the indicated chair, crossing his legs and leaning his elbows on his knees.  He looked over his clasped hands at his old friend and said seriously,  “Eric, I need you to come clean with me about what happened.”

“I’m hurt.  I’ve told you nothing but the truth,” Eric said, leaning back casually.

“When did you last see Matthewson?” McGarrett fired at him.

“When he took those pictures.  Maybe three weeks ago?”

“Were you ever in his shop?”

“No, he came to the boat.”

“Have you lost a pair of sunglasses recently?”

“How did you know that?” Hagen asked, straightening in surprise.  “I left them on the boat, and someone must have taken them.  It was about a week ago.  Expensive ones, too.  I was rather annoyed; I would have thought Mr. Howard’s guests were above that.  Perhaps the cleaners.”  He waved a hand.

“Did you tell anyone they were gone?” McGarrett asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, I didn’t want to bother Mr. Howard about something like that.”  He leaned back again.

Steve leaned forward, hands on his knees, and addressed the other man.  “Eric, a pair of sunglasses was found beside Matthewson’s body.  They had his blood and your fingerprints on them.”

Eric abruptly stood up.  He looked down at McGarrett, all the banter gone from his manner.  _“What?”_

Steve rose from his chair, facing Hagen.  “You’re telling me you didn’t leave those sunglasses there,” he said, emphasizing his point with his hand.

“No, of course not.  _I didn’t kill anyone!”_   Eric looked panicked.  “Please, Steve, you can’t think I would do something like that!”

“I don’t think, I look for evidence,” McGarrett snapped.  “And the evidence here is pointing to you.”

“Someone must have taken my sunglasses and planted them there.”

“Who would want to do that?”

“I don’t know.  Steve, you have to help me!” he looked pleadingly at the head of Five-O.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the truth,” McGarrett said in frustration.

“I am telling you the truth!” Eric protested, giving him a wide-eyed sincere look.

McGarrett shook his head and turned away.  “Eric, I recommend you get a good lawyer.”

* * *

Back in his office, McGarrett stood looking out the door of the lanai.

Danny knocked and entered, crossing to stand in front of Steve’s desk.  “I heard from Chin what he found.  Did you pick Hagen up?” he asked.

Steve turned from the window.  “No, I want more evidence first.”

“We have pictures of him in Matthewson’s collection and his prints on a bloodstained pair of sunglasses at the scene.  What more do we need?” Williams spread his hands in a gesture of confusion.

“Eric says the sunglasses went missing a week before the murder,” his partner said, crossing to stand in front of Danny.

“Did he tell anyone at the time?”

“No,” Steve shook his head.

“Pretty flimsy, Steve,” Danny said, crossing his arms.

“Maybe, and I know there’s something he’s not telling me,” McGarrett said, turning away and pacing back to the window.  “But I don’t think he killed those men.”

“Is that because of the evidence, or because he’s an old friend of yours?” his partner demanded.

Steve whirled to face him.  “Danny, you, of all people, know me better than to think I would let myself be influenced by that.”

“Yeah,” Williams said flatly.  As he turned to leave the office, he contemplated,  _I thought I did.  But maybe that was only when it was_ me _in trouble...._

* * *

The team gathered around McGarrett’s desk to report.

Kono said,  “Boss, there’s something funny at Consolidated Electronics.  There’s a discrepancy of $25,000 in this month’s books.  Stoltz claims to know nothing about it.  Maybe Howard found out and Stoltz killed him?”

“But then what about Matthewson?  Maybe Howard used Consolidated to pay blackmail?  But we didn’t find anything like that amount in Matthewson’s possession,” Danny commented, perching on the corner of the desk.  “And his last big bank account deposit was three months ago.”

“Someone killed Matthewson,” McGarrett said, pacing.  “Maybe they took the money and the evidence.  Danny, how did you do with the Howards’ friends?”

“The Howards weren’t exactly a model couple.  They fought pretty often.  Apparently Mrs. Howard thought Brian kept a mistress, but if so, he was discreet.  The friends never saw him with a woman.”

“What about the stepson?” the head of Five-O asked.

“Oil and water.  Howard thought he was a lazy good-for-nothing and the son thought the old man wasn’t nice enough to his mother,” Williams reported.

McGarrett stopped pacing and faced his detectives.  “Kono, get a warrant to search the boat and the son’s hotel room,” McGarrett ordered.  “We’re looking for photos, cash, and any tie-in to Matthewson.”

“Chin, check alibis for Matthewson’s murder.”

“Danny, you’re with me.  We’re going to pay another visit to Mr. Stoltz.”

* * *

“I’m not an embezzler, Mr. McGarrett!” Stoltz protested, standing up from behind his desk.

“Then tell us what happened to that money,” McGarrett demanded.  “No one else in your company could have arranged for it to disappear like that.”

“You must understand, Mr. McGarrett, Mr. Howard owns this company.  I have to follow his instructions, and they were quite clear,” the thin, balding man said, adjusting his glasses.

“Mr. Howard _owned_ this company,” Steve snapped.  “Now he’s dead, and you’re obstructing the search for his killer.”

“But his _reputation...._ ”  Stoltz was wringing his hands.

McGarrett leaned across the desk.  “We’re going to get to the truth one way or another.  If you help us, maybe we can wrap this up quickly.  If not, we’ll go on tearing into Howard’s personal and business life until we get an answer.”

Stoltz sighed in resignation, sitting down again.  “Mr. Howard instructed me to get the money together, then gradually replace it with money taken out of the salary he drew from the company.  He wasn’t stealing!” he said indignantly.

“Who did he tell you to make the payment to?”

“He took it himself, in cash.”

“$25,000 in cash?  That’s pretty extraordinary.  Did he explain why he needed to make this arrangement?”  Steve asked.

“He said it was something he didn’t want his wife to know about.  I assumed maybe he had a mistress,” the manager told them.

“Did you ever see any other evidence of a mistress?” Danny asked.

“No, he had never asked for anything like this before.  I...I didn’t really know him _personally._ ”

McGarrett stood.  “Thank you for the information.”

“Mr. McGarrett...what’s going to happen to me?” the manager asked anxiously.  “I was only doing what Mr. Howard told me to!”

“Since the company belongs to Mrs. Howard now, that’s up to her,” the head of Five-O told him.

“Oh, dear,” Stoltz said sadly, seeing them out of his office.

* * *

As the sun was setting, Kono knocked on Steve’s door.  He came into the room looking excited.  “We didn’t find the money, but we found a hidden compartment on the boat.  It had copies of those pictures of Hagen in it!” Kono told McGarrett.

“Anything else?” Steve asked, standing up from his desk chair.

“A pair of handcuffs and some...other things.”

McGarrett raised an eyebrow.  “Other things?”

Kono looked uncomfortable.  “I’m...I’m not sure what some of it was for.  We sent everything to the lab.”

“OK, write up a full account, and get me the lab report as soon as possible,” his boss told him.

* * *

Steve sighed.  The lab report sitting on the desk in front of him had revealed three sets of fingerprints on the pictures found on the boat—Matthewson, Hagen, and Brian Howard’s.  Howard’s and Hagen’s on the handcuffs.  Chin had reported that Eric had no alibi for Matthewson’s murder, although neither did Mrs. Howard and her son.

 _Eric, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.  You were always willing to use your body to get ahead.  But I just can’t believe you’re capable of cold-blooded murder,_ McGarrett thought, rubbing his eyes.

Danny came in.  “It’s late, Steve, you should get some rest.”

“You go ahead and go home, Danno.  I’m going to think about this a bit longer.”

“Steve...this is no ordinary case, not for you.  Don’t you think maybe you should step back and let the rest of us handle it?”

“No.  I have to take care of this,” Steve snapped.

Williams looked like he’d like to say something else, then sighed, and said, “Goodnight, Steve.”

* * *

Driving home after dinner, a greasy burger eaten at a diner, Danny found he couldn’t get his mind off Steve and Eric.

_Why is Steve acting so odd about this case?  He obviously doesn’t want me with him when he talks to Hagen, and I can’t understand why.  There’s no reason for him to hide that we’re lovers—it’s not like his ex-boyfriend would be shocked by that._

He made a left turn.

 _Or is there a reason he doesn’t want Eric to know about us?_ he thought unhappily, not wanting to contemplate the most obvious possibility.

As he pulled into the parking lot of his condo building he sighed.  _I suppose not being at Steve’s gives me a chance to catch up on the stuff I need to do around the apartment.  I need to take some suits to the cleaners.  I should really have my gray suit cleaned, but I left it at Steve’s.  Maybe...maybe I should go pick it up...no reason why not, right?_

* * *

McGarrett was carrying the remains of his take-out dinner to the kitchen when there was a knock at the door.

He felt an involuntary lift of spirits at the thought that it might be Danny.  _Better if it isn’t.  The absolute last thing I need is to have Eric take it into his head to show up while Danny’s here,_ he admonished himself.

Opening the door, he found himself looking into a familiar but much less welcome face.

“Steve!”  Eric Hagen, in his captain’s uniform, greeted him exuberantly as usual, but his grin seemed a bit forced.

“Eric,” McGarrett replied resignedly.  “What are you doing here?”

“Just...just a friendly social visit,” the blonde man said.  “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“I suppose it’s unavoidable,” Steve said, stepping back to allow Eric to pass, then closing the door behind him.  “You really shouldn’t be here.  You’re a witness in an ongoing murder investigation.”

“Come, Steve, you can’t really think I killed anyone,” Eric said, draping himself on the sofa and putting his hat on the coffee table.  “You know me too well.”

“Yes.  I know you too well,” Steve said, crossing the room to stand facing the dark mirrors of the glass lanai doors.

Eric slid gracefully to his feet and came to stand behind him, looking over McGarrett’s shoulder at their reflections.  “Steve,” he began, resting a hand lightly on the small of Steve’s back, “You know I’ve never been much for apologies.  But...I’m sorry about how things ended between us.”

Blue eyes met in the glass.  “I find that hard to believe,” the dark haired man said, a touch of bitterness in his voice.

“It’s true, though,” Eric said softly.  “That was a long time ago.  I’ve grown up since then.  I’ve missed you, Steve....”

“I find _that_ hard to believe, too,” McGarrett said, turning to face his ex-lover.

“You always were a skeptic,” Eric said with a smile.  “Let me convince you.”

Eric put his arms around Steve’s neck.  He was leaning in for a kiss and Steve was putting a hand on his chest to shove him away when there was a soft knock at the unlocked front door, which opened to reveal Danny, looking at them with his blue eyes wide.

 _Shit!_ Steve thought explosively, hastily pulling free of Eric and stepping back.  _Danno, I’d be glad to see you, but your timing is rotten.  At least with that startled expression Eric should believe you’re surprised to see me with a guy._

“Detective Williams,” McGarrett said, quickly marshalling his thoughts and crossing to where Danny stood in the doorway.  “Was there something urgent you needed to report on the case?”

“What...what is he....” Danny trailed off, looking at Hagen.

“Purely a social call on an old friend,” Eric said, joining Steve at the door.  “No discussion of the case at all.”  He put an arm familiarly around Steve’s waist and looked over Steve’s shoulder at the sandy haired detective.

“He’s cute.  A little young for you, isn’t he, though?” Eric asked into Steve’s ear.

“I don’t know what you’re insinuating, but you’re off base,” Steve snapped, removing Eric’s arm.  _Just beautiful.  Eric already suspects the truth.  I have to get Danny out of here._

“Williams.  Can your report wait until morning?” McGarrett asked.

“I...I....”  Danny seemed slightly stunned.

“Good,” Steve declared.  “I’ll see you in my office first thing.  Good night,” he said, stepping back and closing the door.  _Eric, I see you haven’t lost your touch for causing trouble...._

* * *

Danny drove away from Steve’s place without any idea where he was going.  In his mind’s eye he kept seeing them, Eric’s arms around Steve’s neck, Steve’s hand resting on Eric’s chest.  _I didn’t_ really _think I’d find them together,_ he thought miserably.  _Maybe...maybe it was entirely Eric making a move, and Steve just hadn’t stopped him yet.  Yeah, keep telling yourself that...._

He realized that he was driving towards the ocean, and decided that a walk on the beach might help him get his thoughts in order.  _Steve...you’d tell me if you were through with me, wouldn’t you?  Wouldn’t you?_ he thought in anguish.

* * *

When Danny arrived at Five-O Headquarters the next morning McGarrett was already in his office.  _He doesn’t look like he slept any more than I did,_ he thought, resolutely trying not to imagine what Steve might have been doing that kept him awake. __

“Good morning, Steve.”

“Morning, Danno.”  McGarrett gave him a half smile, setting down the report he’d been re-reading.

“What’s the plan for this morning?”  his partner asked.

“I wish I knew.”  Steve rubbed his eyes.

“Steve....” Danny began.  _I want to ask him about last night, but I’m half afraid to hear the answer...._

The telephone rang.

McGarrett picked it up.  “Good morning, Governor.  No, we’re still following up leads on this one....”

Danny left Steve to his phone call, going back out to the outer office.  As he tidied the desk in his cubicle, he heard the front door to the office open and close.  He looked up to find the person he least wanted to see at the moment crossing the office to talk to Jenny.

“Jenny, my dear!  Is Steve in?” Eric asked.

“He’s on a call with the Governor, I’m afraid.  If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll let you  know when he’s available,” she told him.

“Perhaps I’ll just have a word with Detective Williams while I wait,” he said, sauntering over to Danny’s office.  He knocked on the door frame, then, without waiting for an invitation, came in and leaned on the edge of Danny’s desk.

Danny got up from his chair, folding his arms and glaring at Eric.  “Hagen.  Can I help you with something?” he asked.

“Yes, I think you can,” Eric said.

* * *

“Aloha, Governor,” McGarrett said, putting the phone receiver back on the hook.  _I guess when a wealthy taxpayer dies, I should expect the Governor breathing down my neck.  Just what I need on top of everything else...._

The phone buzzed.

Steve picked it up.  “Yes, Jenny?”

“Steve, Mr. Hagen is here to see you,” his secretary told him.  “He’s in with Danny right now.”

 _In with Danny...oh, no...._ “I’ll be right there,” McGarrett said, hastily hanging up the phone and bolting for his office door.  As he opened the door and turned toward his second-in-command’s cubicle, he heard a crash, and Jenny gasped.

“Danny!” she exclaimed in concern, jumping to her feet, as her boss reached the cubicle doorway and stopped short, startled.

McGarrett’s ex-lover had Danny by the shoulders, and was holding him against the window and kissing him.

 _“Eric!”_ Steve snapped, crossing the space in one stride and grabbing the blonde man’s shoulder in a punishing grip to yank him away from his partner.  _“In my office!”_   He glanced over at Danny.  “You OK, Danno?”

“Yeah...I’m fine, Steve,” he said, looking slightly dazed.

McGarrett steered Eric forcibly into the outer office, pausing to reassure his worried secretary that Danny was unharmed and everything was under control.  _I hope she didn’t get a good look at what Eric was actually doing...._ he thought.

Once in his own office with the door closed, McGarrett deposited Eric in one of the white chairs in front of his desk and stood in front of him, glaring down.  “What the hell was that?” he demanded.

“Is it really any of your concern who Williams kisses?” Eric asked him, lounging in the chair at ease and smiling.

“It’s my concern that the members of my team not be harassed at work!”  McGarrett closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.  “Eric.  Was there something you wanted to tell me?”

Hagen stood and went to look out the window.  “I was just wondering about the progress of your investigation,” he said.  “It’s very stressful, not knowing....”

“Yeah.  It’s stressful for all of us,” Steve told him dryly, perching on the front of his desk.  “If you want the investigation to progress, try telling us the truth.”

“Steve!” Eric said, turning to face the head of Five-O and putting a hand over his heart.  “I _am_ telling you the truth.  I don’t know why you persist in not believing me.”

“Eric.”  McGarrett leaned forward.  “I’m a cop.  And I know you.  You’re not giving me the whole story.  Why are you here?  What is it you’re afraid we’ll find?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eric said evasively, standing and walking away from Steve towards the door.  “Perhaps I’m just here to see the delectable Detective Williams.  Those innocent blue eyes....” he said over his shoulder.

“I’ll walk you out,” McGarrett said through clenched teeth.

After seeing Eric safely through the front door of the outer office, Steve returned to his desk to call the district attorney.  _He’s hiding something.  It’s time I found out what it is...and if he touches Danny again, so help me, I’ll break his arm...._

* * *

Later that afternoon McGarrett, the search warrant safely in his jacket pocket, strode into the outer office and looked around for his team.

He found Danny and Kono in Williams’ office, piles of financial records spread across the desk.

“Any progress, Danno?” McGarrett asked.

“A whole lot of nothing,” his partner said, looking up from the stack of bank statements he was sorting.  “As far as I can tell, the Howards’ financial lives are open books.”

“Keep at it,” Steve told him.  “Kono, you’re with me.”

“Where’re we going, boss?” the Hawaiian detective asked, getting up from his seat in front of the desk.

“We’re going to search Eric Hagen’s hotel room.  Oh, and Danny—I want you to continue to follow up with the Howards’ friends.”

“But....” Danny protested to McGarrett’s back as he strode from the room. __

* * *

Eric answered the door of his suite.  “Steve?  What a nice surprise to see you again so soon,” he said, smiling, but with wary eyes.  “And I don’t believe we’ve met?” he looked over at Kono.

“Eric.” McGarrett said grimly, taking a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket and handing it over.  “This is a warrant to search your room.”

“A search warrant?  Steve!  Surely you don’t really believe I have anything to do with these murders?” Eric protested.

“That’s what we’re here to find out,” McGarrett snapped, walking past him into the room.

Steve, Kono, and the two HPD officers with them started thoroughly going over the room.  Hagen stood watching with his arms crossed, leaning against the door.

“Steve, I found something in the bottom of this drawer!” Kono called to his boss from the bedroom.

McGarrett stopped searching the couch cushions in the living room, and went to see what the Hawaiian detective had found.  He found Kono was holding beige envelope in his gloved hands.  He carefully withdrew a sheaf of black and white photos, an envelope of negatives, and a stack of bills.

Kono flipped through the money.  “Looks like about $5,000,” he said, looking up at Steve.

McGarrett spread the photos out on the bed.  They were taken from an odd angle and slightly blurry, but they clearly showed two men having sex in the cabin of a boat.  Eric Hagen and Brian Howard.

Steve sighed.  He returned the photos to the envelope and gestured for Kono to follow him back to the living room.  His expression grim, McGarrett said, “Eric Hagen, you are under arrest for the murders of Richard Matthewson and Brian Howard.  Book him, Kono.”

Eric’s face went white.  “Steve!  No!  What did you find?  Please, you have to believe me, I’m being framed!”

Kono handcuffed him and informed him of his rights.

 _“Steve!  Help me!”_ Eric shouted as Kono led him out the door.

Steve sank into a chair and covered his eyes.  _Eric, Eric, you always spent a lot of time in hot water, but you’ve really done it this time.  This evidence together with the sunglasses is almost certainly enough to put you away for Matthewson’s murder.  But I just can’t believe it...._


	3. A Bad Dream

It was late afternoon when Kono burst into Danny’s cubicle.  “We arrested Hagen!” he said excitedly.  “He had photos of himself and Brian Howard doing disgusting stuff, and also some cash.  He’s some kind of old friend of Steve’s, huh?”

“They were together in the Navy,” Danny said.  _‘Together,’ all right...._

“Hagen claims he was framed, kept asking Steve to help him.  Steve looked real upset, but you know how he is, work before everything else.”

“Yeah,” Danny said.  _Everything else.  Why did he take Kono to search instead of me?  Is there something he doesn’t want me to see?_

“This one looks like it’s almost wrapped up,” Kono said.  “You want to go get a beer tonight?  It’s Friday, and we haven’t gone out for pau hana in a long time.”

“Sure, why not.”  _It’s not like Steve wants to see me...._

* * *

McGarrett stood in front of Eric’s cell.  “You asked to meet with me?  Eric, you should really have your lawyer present.”

“I don’t want my lawyer, I want to talk to you,” Eric told him.  His face was pale under his tan.

 _I’ve never seen him look like this before...terrified, vulnerable,_ Steve thought.  _I always thought of Eric as fearless._

McGarrett raised his eyebrows.  “What do you want to talk about?”

“I want to tell you everything I know.”  Eric’s hands were clenched around the bars.

“You really should have your lawyer here for that,” Steve told him.

“Steve, _I didn’t do it!”_ the panic rose in Hagen’s voice.  “I know you don’t exactly owe me any favors after...after how we broke up, but please, if I ever meant anything at all to you, help me!” he pleaded, reaching through the bars in supplication. __

McGarrett sighed, reaching a hand up to grasp one of the bars and leaning on it.  “OK, Eric, tell me what you know.”

“So, I’ve had this boat captain gig with Howard for three years now.  He pays well, she’s a beautiful boat, and it’s cushy work—all I do is travel around with the boat to meet him wherever he goes and take him and some of his rich friends out every so often.”

“That’s not _all_ you do, is it?” Steve asked sarcastically.

“No.  I also slept with Howard.”  Eric took a step back and looked away.

“Don’t pretend you feel any shame whatsoever,” Steve snapped.  “I know better than that.”

“I suppose you do,” Eric said in a subdued voice.

“How long was the affair going on?”

“Two years.  It wasn’t much of a burden—he was too discreet to see me often, and he didn’t care if I saw other men, as long as he didn’t have to know.”

“So, your ideal arrangement, then,” Steve said bitterly.

“Steve....”  Eric turned back to face his ex-lover, who leaned closer to the bars and started firing questions.

“The things we found in the secret compartment on the boat?”

“Howard’s private stash.  He liked to use the handcuffs on me sometimes....”

“What about the pictures?” McGarrett asked.

“He had Matthewson come and take them.  I don’t know how he found the guy, but for someone who took that sort of pictures for a living, he was pretty good.  Artistic.  You saw them, what did you think?”  Eric gave him a ghost of his usual impudent smile.

“Very artistic,” Steve said drily.  “What about the pictures we found in your room, of you and Howard together?”

“I never saw the negatives or the money before, but I saw a set of those prints.  Matthewson, knowing that we met on the boat, had apparently managed to sneak on board somehow and take those through the cabin window.  He sent them to Howard and threatened to show them to his wife if he didn’t pay him off.  Howard showed them to me.”

“How much did Matthewson demand?” McGarrett asked, starting to pace back and forth in front of the cell.

“$25,000,” Hagen told him.

“Pretty steep.”

“Howard was loaded, it wasn’t much to him, but his wife kept an eagle eye on their bank accounts.  He had to do some sort of deal with a company he owned to get the money.”

“Did he have you deliver the money to Matthewson?”

“No, he did it himself.”

Steve stopped in front of Eric and demanded, “Did he have you kill Matthewson?”

“No!  I have no idea who killed him!  It wasn’t me, and I’d swear it wasn’t Mr. Howard, either.  The day he died he came and met me on the boat, and he was in a panic, because the police didn’t seem to have the negatives of those pictures, but he didn’t know where they were, either.  Matthewson was supposed to mail them to him after he got the payment, but they never came.”

“Maybe you were in on it with Matthewson,” McGarrett suggested, leaning closer.  “You tipped him off to take the pictures, and you were supposed to split the money, but something went wrong and you killed him and took the negatives.”

“No!” Eric denied, stepping back.  “And why would I keep the negatives?”

“Blackmailing Howard yourself.”

“But after he was dead, why wouldn’t I destroy them?” Hagen paced the cell in agitation.

“Maybe you meant to, but hadn’t done it yet.”

“I’m telling you, I’m being framed!  The sunglasses, the negatives...someone planted those things!  My fingerprints were on the sunglasses because they were mine, but what about the negatives and the money?”

“Wiped clean,” Steve told him.

“Why would I wipe them, and then keep them in my room?”

“If it’s a frame, who did it?” McGarrett demanded.

“Whoever killed Howard.  Maybe his wife hired someone?” Eric suggested.

“How would his wife have known about Matthewson?”

“I don’t know!  Maybe she was having Mr. Howard followed.  Maybe it was that idiot son of hers, although I can’t see him having the guts.”  Hagen came to stand in front of McGarrett, looking him in the eyes.  “Steve, I’ve told you the truth, everything I know.  You have to solve this.  _Please,_ Steve.  You know what will happen to me if I go to prison after it comes out I was having an affair with a man.”  Eric reached through the bars, grabbing Steve’s forearm and clinging to it.

“Steve?  They told me you were down here,” Danny said, walking down the corridor towards McGarrett.  He was holding a folder.

 _Hell!  I didn’t hear him come in._ Steve yanked his arm out of Eric’s grasp and stepped back.  “Danny.  What are you doing here?”

“The lab report on the apartment is ready.  You said you wanted it as soon as possible,” his partner said, proffering the folder, his face unreadable.

“Thank you,” McGarrett said, taking it.  “I’ll be back in the office shortly.”

“OK, Steve.”  Danny turned and left, something defeated in the set of his shoulders that made Steve want to follow him and ask what was bothering him.  _I’ve hardly gotten to talk to him this week.  I’ll be so glad when this case is wrapped up and I can see him again without worrying...._

His train of thought was interrupted by Eric, also watching Danny walk out.  “You’re really not sleeping with him?”

“What is _with_ you?” Steve snapped.  “Now, do you want my help, or not?”

“Sorry, Steve,” Eric said meekly.  “Please, just get me out of here.”

* * *

Later that evening, Danny sat in a bar with Kono, looking morosely at his beer as the cheerful sounds of Friday night conversation washed over him.

Kono was in a good mood due to the apparently successful resolution of the case.  “That Hagen’s a handsome buggah.  I thought maybe he was having an affair with the wife.  I can’t believe it was with the husband, instead!”  He laughed.

“Can we not talk about the case?” Danny asked.

“Sure.  What’s bothering you?  You haven’t seemed yourself, last couple of days,” his friend said, concerned.

“I’m...I’m worried about Steve,” Danny admitted, concentrating on peeling the label from his beer bottle.  “I think he’s too close to this case.”  _I’m afraid he’s too close to Eric...._

“Steve’s loyal to his friends, but you know he’d never cover up for anyone, even one of us,” Kono said.

“Yeah.  But if he has to send a friend to prison it will tear him apart, whether he admits it or not.”  _And I’d stand with him through this, but he won’t let me in.  Why?  Is it that he doesn’t want to be vulnerable, even to me?  Or is it that he still has feelings for Eric?_

“Nothing we can do, bruddah.  Hey, next round’s on me!” the big Hawaiian said, motioning to the bartender.

* * *

Despite the beers, Danny found it hard to fall asleep that night.  He tossed and turned, and then, when he finally managed to reach unconsciousness, he dreamed....

 _He was in Steve’s office.  After their time apart they couldn’t wait any longer, despite the risk.  They kissed each other hungrily, passionately.  Steve boosted Danny onto the edge of his desk, shoving everything out of the way.  Still devouring his mouth, Steve stroked Danny through his pants, making him groan with pleasure.  As Danny clung to Steve with his arms around his neck, kissing him back, Steve unfastened Danny’s pants, and slipped his hand inside._

 _“Ah!  Steve!” he cried out, then, remembering where they were, bit down on his hand._

 _Steve bent down to take Danny’s erect cock into his mouth._

 _“Steve...are you sure we should do this here?  Steve!”_

 _Danny propped his hands on the desk, leaning back as waves of pleasure swept through his body._

 _The telephone rang._

 _Steve abruptly stopped his ministrations to Danny’s cock and reached for the receiver._

 _“McGarrett.”_

 _“Ah, Eric.  I’ll be there right away,” he said into the phone._

 _“Wait, Steve....” Danny protested._

 _Danny was suddenly on the bridge of a naval vessel.  He was dressed again, but still painfully unsatisfied, his erection straining against his pants._

 _By the rail, Steve and Eric stood together.  They were naked, kissing, evenly matched, light and dark, magnificently erect cocks standing vertically against each other._

 _Danny made a noise of protest._

 _They both turned to look at him._

 _“Steve, who let this civilian on the bridge?” Eric said._

 _“Sorry, I was amusing myself with him while I waited for you to come back,” Steve answered._

 _“He’s cute, but we don’t need him now,” the blonde man said._

 _“Danno, go file something, won’t you?” Steve dismissed his partner, turning back to Eric and kissing him, his hand taking hold of Eric’s cock...._

Danny woke up.  His eyes were wet with tears, and, as in his dream, he was painfully erect.

 _God, I’m pathetic...._

He got out of bed and went to the bathroom, turning the shower on blasting cold.  He stepped in, wincing at the shock, then stood with his forehead against the tile, helpless to stop the tears trickling down his face.  _Steve, please tell me it isn’t true...._

* * *

Steve stood looking out the door of the lanai in his office.  The office was full of pools of shadow, illuminated only by his desk lamp.

 _Eric...lover, betrayer, friend, enemy...I don’t know how to think of you, but I don’t believe you committed these murders, and in that case I owe it to you to find out the truth, the same as I’d owe anyone else,_ Steve thought.

 _I should go home and get some sleep.  I wish Danny were waiting for me there.  Danny...something precious and shining in my life.  I don’t want the stains of my past to touch you._

* * *

In the morning McGarrett gathered the team together for a fresh round of orders.  “I want to concentrate on the wife and the stepson,” he declared, pacing behind his desk and ticking off his questions on his fingers.  “Did either of them know about the affair?  Was the wife having Howard followed?  What did the stepson do for money?”

“But, Boss, all the evidence points to Hagen.  Why aren’t you satisfied with it?” Kono asked.

Steve turned to face the Hawaiian detective.  “It doesn’t hang together.  Why would Hagen keep the pictures instead of destroying them?  Why were they wiped for prints?  We’re not finished with this case,” he snapped.  “Kono, go back to the stepson’s friends.  Find out whether he was short of cash, and how he usually got it.  I’m guessing the mother.”

“Chin,” he said, turning to where Kelly stood impassively in front of the desk, between Danny and Kono.  “I want you to lean on the private agencies in town.  See if any of them were hired to do anything related to Howard.”

McGarrett crossed to his coat stand and reached for his jacket.  “I’m going to talk to Mrs. Howard and her son about Hagen, see if they knew about the affair.”

“What about me?” Danny asked.  _I need to shake off that dream...._

“Go back to checking Howard’s financial records.  Check out Mrs. Howard’s, too.”

 _‘Go file something, Danno....’  Steve, why?  Why don’t you want me with you?  Is it...is it for the reason I’m afraid of?_

* * *

McGarrett interviewed Mrs. Howard and Noel Harrison in the hotel suite she had moved to from the condo where her husband had been killed.  They sat in the living area on comfortable seats arranged around a low coffee table.  “Mrs. Howard, I need to ask you some difficult questions about your husband,” Steve said, leaning forward and clasping his hands.

“About Brian?  Why?” Mrs. Howard said, sounding confused.  “Why did Mr. Hagen kill him?  It can’t have been just because he left him the boat!”

“Mrs. Howard, did you ever suspect your husband of having an affair?”

“He...well, when we first met, he was very good to me, always buying me little gifts, taking me places,” she said, looking down at her hands.  “The last couple of years he’s...he’s seemed cooler.  But I never caught him at anything.  No lipstick on his collar, or receipts from jewelry stores for gifts he never gave me or anything.  It was just a feeling,” she said, turning her large blue eyes on McGarrett.

“Brian Howard was a jerk, Mom.  I always told you so, but you wouldn’t listen,” Harrison, sitting next to her on the couch, broke in, scowling.

“Hush, dear,” she told him, patting his arm.

“Mrs. Howard, how well did you know Eric Hagen?” Steve asked.

“Why, I met him often, of course, on the boat, although usually Howard just went out with his business cronies.  But I wouldn’t say I knew him well.”

“Did Mr. Howard spend a lot of time on the boat?”

“Yes, he really loved it.  Especially when we were here in Hawaii, he was always over there.”  She sniffed and took a handkerchief out of her purse to dab at her eyes.

“I’m afraid what I have to say will be painful to you, but your husband was having an affair with Eric Hagen,” McGarrett told her.

“What...what do you mean?  Brian?  An affair?  You mean...you mean an affair _with a man?_   That’s not possible!”

“I’m very sorry, Ma’am,” Steve said.  “We found some photos of them together taken by a man named Matthewson who was murdered a few days ago.”

“I can’t believe it.  Show me the photos,” she demanded.

“Are you sure, Mrs. Howard?”

“Yes!  Brian would never have done something like that!  He loved me!” she declared shrilly.

“Mom, face the facts!  He was a closet queen who was screwing that pretty-boy captain on his boat every chance he got!  He didn’t even stop when he was being blackmailed!” her son said angrily.

“Noel, you will not talk about your father that way!” she cried.

Noel said scornfully, “He wasn’t my father!”

McGarrett placed his briefcase on the coffee table and opened it, removing an envelope.  He removed the least explicit of the photos inside and leaned over to hand it to her.  “Here, Mrs. Howard.”

“Oh, my god!” she cried, dropping the photo on the table and burying her face in her hands.

Steve looked over at her son.  “Mr. Harrison, how did you know your stepfather was being blackmailed?” he asked, eyebrows raised.  “That fact hasn’t been advertised anywhere.”

“I...I...I mean, I didn’t _know,_ but what else would those pictures be for?” Noel stammered, not meeting the detective’s gaze.

“Could it be that you were in on the blackmail plot?  Perhaps you let Matthewson onto the boat that day?” McGarrett suggested.

“Don’t be ridiculous!  I...I didn’t know anything about Brian’s filthy habit!”

“Did he keep you short of money?  Is that why you did it?”

“You can’t talk to me that way!  Mom, tell him!” Harrison demanded.

Mrs. Howard looked up.  “Noel, is it true?  Brian was being blackmailed?” she asked.

“I told you, I have no idea!”

“He was, Mrs. Howard,” McGarrett told her.  “He paid $25,000 to the man who took these pictures.  That man is dead now.”

“Mr. Hagen killed him?” she asked.

“Maybe.  But there’s still $20,000 of the money not accounted for.”

“You searched my place, and didn’t find it!” Noel said defiantly.  “Mom, why don’t you go lie down in the bedroom and rest.”  He pulled his mother to her feet and steered her out of the living room, although she looked back uncertainly at McGarrett.

* * *

That afternoon the team once again gathered in McGarrett’s office to report. “That Noel...his friends say he’s always complaining about his stepfather keeping him short of cash.  He got handouts from his mom, but that was just pocket change,” said Kono, sitting on the arm of one of the white chairs in front of Steve’s desk.

“No one admits to being asked to do anything related to Brian Howard, or to ever having seen Mrs. Howard or Noel Harrison,” reported Chin, standing beside him.  “I didn’t get the feeling anyone was hiding anything on this one.”

“Mrs. Howard’s finances are clean, as far as I can tell,” Danny said, from his usual perch on the corner of the desk.  “Noel Harrison definitely hasn’t deposited anything like $20,000 in his bank account, either.”

McGarrett started snapping his fingers and pacing.  “I want to know what happened to that money.  Matthewson didn’t have it.  It’s not in anyone’s bank account, and we couldn’t find it in the boat, the Howards’ condo, the son’s apartment, or Hagen’s room.  He claims he never even saw the $5,000 before, but I’d bet it came from that $25,000, put there by him or by whoever’s trying to frame him.”

“If the son has the money, would he have given it to one of his friends to hold?” asked Chin.

“Not that bunch,” Kono said, shaking his head.  “You’d have to be pupule to trust them any farther than you could throw them.”

Stopping and turning to face the others, McGarrett said intensely, “We find that money, we find our killer.”

* * *

“Where do you think he hid that money?” Kono asked Danny as they took a coffee break in the outer office.

“Well, it wasn’t in his hotel room, and you don’t think he’d have given it to one of his surfing friends...what about a girlfriend?” Williams suggested, leaning against the divider between his cubicle and the next.

Kono shook his head.  “He took out girls, but nothing steady.  If he hid it somewhere, it could be anywhere on this island!”

“He’d want it to be somewhere safe.  Somewhere he could get to when he needed it, too, if he took out that $5,000 to put in Hagen’s hotel room,” Danny mused.

“So he didn’t bury it,” the big Hawaii detective said, “But that doesn’t get us any closer to what he _did_ do with it.”

“Well, if you wanted to hide something in a safe place you could easily get to, where would you put it?  Somewhere no one would notice when you came to get it.”

“Maybe a locker?”  Kono suggested.  “But it could be anywhere—the airport, bus station, even the shopping mall.”

“I think he’d choose somewhere he was familiar with.  He didn’t live in Hawaii, so maybe that’s not so many places.  Kono, you’ve been looking into his life—what did Noel Harrison like to do besides hang out at the beach?” Danny asked him.

“His friends say he liked to cruise for chicks in his mustang, play pool, hang around in bars drinking beer....”  Kono blew on his coffee and drank from the paper cup.  “No lockers there.”

Danny paced back and forth in front of the door to his cubicle in unconscious imitation of Steve.

“Where are there lockers?  Places where people would need to leave things...the airport, schools, maybe Sea Life Park....”

“I can’t see him spending much time in those places,” Kono objected.

Williams continued, “...hotels, but then he’d have to talk to someone at the desk...swimming pools....” he abruptly stopped pacing and turned to Kono.  “He looks like he works out.  Did he go to a gym?”

“You know, I think his friends said something about a gym when I was asking about alibis for the day Matthewson was killed.”

“So...what about a gym locker?”  Danny suggested.

“Hey, Danny, maybe you’re right!” Kono said excitedly.

“Is Steve still over meeting with the Governor?”  Danny asked.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Well, it’s worth a look,” Williams said, finishing his coffee in a gulp and tossing his empty cup in the trash.  “Come on, let’s go see if we can find out which gym.”

* * *

Danny and Kono came back to Five-O headquarters from the lab just as McGarrett returned from the budget meeting, all of them entering the outer office together.  “Boss!  We got it!” Kono said exuberantly.

“Got what?” McGarrett asked.

“The money!  Danny thought maybe Harrison might have a gym locker somewhere, and he was right!  We got the name of the gym he uses from one of his friends and convinced them they should cooperate, and there was a briefcase in the locker.”

“With the money?” McGarrett asked Danny, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, the briefcase had $19,500 in it.  Che Fong went over the case and the money and found Brian Howard’s prints, along with Matthewson’s and Harrison’s, and another set, probably Stoltz.  No sign of Hagen’s.” his partner told him.

“Let’s all go pay Mr. Harrison a visit,” McGarrett said.

* * *

They spoke to Harrison and Mrs. Howard in Mrs. Howard’s hotel suite, once again sitting around the coffee table in the living room.

“Mr. Harrison, would you like to come clean about your involvement in blackmailing your stepfather?”  McGarrett asked the scowling young man sitting beside his mother on the sofa.

“I told you, I had nothing to do with it!  It was Eric Hagen!” he protested.

“We spoke to employees at the Island Fitness gym and found that you keep a locker there,” Danny told him.  “In that locker we found a briefcase containing $19,500, the amount of money missing from the blackmail payment.”

“Noel!” his mother cried, turning to her son.  “Please tell me you didn’t do this!”

“Of course I didn’t, Mom!  I had nothing to do with it!  These pigs must be trying some kind of frame-up just to get the case off the books,” Harrison said with a defiant sneer.

“No frame-up,” McGarrett told him.  “That case had four good sets of prints—yours, your stepfather’s, the murdered Mr. Matthewson’s, and the man who prepared the case for Mr. Howard.”

Harrison jumped to his feet, followed by Danny and Kono, keeping a watchful eye on him.  “It’s a lie!  I never touched any briefcase!”

Steve also stood.  “ _Sit down,_ Mr. Harrison!” he snapped.

The young man looked uncertain before the force of the head of Five-O’s gaze.  He sat back down.

Danny and Kono made themselves at home, Kono going to stand by the TV and Danny perching on the arm of his chair.

McGarrett loomed over Harrison.  “So, Mr. Harrison...was it the money?  Is that why you killed your stepfather?”  He walked around behind the suspect’s chair.  “Or was there something more?”

“I...I told you, I didn’t kill anybody!” Harrison protested.

Steve continued, pacing back and forth out of Harrison’s view, “Maybe it was personal.  Maybe you couldn’t deal with finding out that he was a homosexual.  Your stepfather.  A member of your family.  Not exactly something you would want your friends to know, hm?”  McGarrett didn’t dare look over at Danny.  He stopped pacing.  “Was that it?  Is that why you killed him?” he demanded.

“That’s not...I mean...I didn’t!” the young man said nervously, turning in his seat to watch the head of Five-O.

Danny followed up.  “Or did it bother you for a different reason?  Maybe it made you realize something about yourself....”

“You’re crazy,” Harrison told him scornfully.  “As if I would be like _him._ ”

Steve leaned on the back of Harrison’s chair.  “You really didn’t like your stepfather, did you?” he said softly.  “Now, why is that?  It’s not just that he kept you short of cash, surely.”

Mrs. Howard broke in.  “Of course it’s hard to have a step-parent.  But Noel respected Brian!”

“Respected him!  How could I respect someone like him?” Harrison demanded of her.

“He was your father!”

“Stop saying that!  He was _not_ my father!  And how can you possibly defend him, now that you know what he really was?” he said angrily.

“He loved me!  Even if he sometimes...sometimes had...those urges,  he was still good to me—to both of us!” she retorted.

McGarrett said, “That’s it, isn’t it, Harrison?  It didn’t matter to you what Brian Howard did, or what he was.  What you just _couldn’t live with_ was that she chose him over you.  You killed him because you were _jealous_.”

Harrison leapt to his feet and faced McGarrett across the chair, fists clenched, shaking with anger.  _“That’s a lie!_   I did it for her!  She was too good for him!  She refused to ever hear anything against that creep, but you saw what he was!  He didn’t deserve her!  _He never deserved her!_ ”

 _“Noel!”_ Mrs. Howard screamed, white-faced.  _“How could you?_    I loved him!  And I loved you!  And now I’ve lost you both!”  She dissolved into sobs, burying her face in her hands.

“Book him, Danno,” McGarrett snapped.

* * *

Back at Five-O after finishing the formalities of Harrison’s arrest, Danny headed for Steve’s office.  He knocked perfunctorily, then opened the door. Steve and Eric Hagen, looking gorgeous as usual in an immaculately tailored gray pinstripe suit, stood side by side, looking out the open door of the lanai.  Eric was resting a hand on Steve’s arm, leaning forward to laughingly say something.

As Danny stepped through the door they both turned to look at him, the scene reminding him sharply of his dream.  _‘We don’t need him now...go file something, Danno.’_   “Sorry, Steve,” he said, backing hastily out of the office and closing the door.

He stopped by the secretary’s desk in the outer office.  “Jenny, when Steve gets done in there, can you tell him I’ve gone for the day?”

* * *

Having explained Harrison’s plot to Eric, Steve asked, “So, what are your plans now?”  A gentle breeze blew in from outside, rustling the papers on Steve’s desk.

“Since I’m not profiting from my crimes, I get to keep Kealani.  I’d thought I’d take her back to California, start up my own charter business,” Hagen told him.

McGarrett gave him a half smile.  “You always did land on your feet.”

Eric turned to face his ex-lover, saying seriously, “Steve...thank you for believing in me.  I don’t know how you could, after what I did, but I know I owe you more than I can ever repay.

Steve looked away.  “I only did what I would have done for anyone.  Tried to uncover the facts.”

“Sure, Steve...well, if you’re ever in California, feel free to look me up for old times’ sake.”  Eric winked, then turned and left the office with the subtle swagger back in his step.

McGarrett shook his head in tolerant exasperation.  He was in a good mood.  The case was finally over, Eric wasn’t in prison but was going to be safely out of Steve’s life and relegated to part of his past once again, and Steve and Danny could pick up where they had left off.  _I’ll cook Danny dinner tonight to celebrate.  Maybe steaks?  He’d like that...._

Steve turned to his desk, and picked up the phone to call Danny’s office.  _No answer.  Huh._   He tried Jenny.  “Jenny, do you know where Danno is?”

“He said to tell you he was going home for the day, Steve,” she informed him.

McGarrett tried his partner’s apartment.  _No answer there, either.  Strange._

* * *

Steve had hoped that Danny might be waiting at his place to surprise him, but when he got there it was dark and empty.  _Where the hell is he?  No point in cooking just for myself,_ McGarrett thought.  He ate a sandwich, tried calling Danny’s apartment again, then sat trying to interest himself in a magazine.

The doorbell rang.


	4. To the Future

McGarrett went to the door in answer to the sound of the bell.

Danny stood on the doorstep.  A steady rain was falling outside, and he’d walked from his usual cautious parking space a couple of blocks away without an umbrella.  Raindrops sparkled in his wavy reddish-blond hair and the shoulders of his brown suit were darkened with moisture.

“Danny! Where have you been?” Steve asked, stepping back to let his partner in.

“Steve.”  Danny stood on the doorstep, looking around the room.  “Eric isn’t here?”

“Eric?” McGarrett asked in surprise.  “Why on earth would he be here?”

Danny stepped inside, letting Steve close the door, facing his partner where they had so often stood to bid each other goodbye.  “Steve,” he began, looking down.  “I know Eric is gorgeous, and you two have your past and the Navy in common, and I...I can’t compete with that, but...but please, just tell me.”  He looked back up to meet McGarrett’s deep blue eyes.  “Don’t leave me dangling like this!” he pleaded.

“Tell you what?  What are you talking about?” Steve asked, drawing his eyebrows together in consternation.

“Steve, I’m not blind.  Since Eric turned up you haven’t wanted anything to do with me!”

“Danny!  You think that’s because I want to be with _Eric?_ ” Steve demanded incredulously.

“Well, is it?” Danny asked angrily.

“Danny,” McGarrett said, “Eric is a selfish and unprincipled bastard who left me because he found an admiral who would be more helpful to his career than I could be.  How could you possibly think you need to compete with someone like him?”  He put a hand on Danny’s shoulder.  “And what do you mean he’s gorgeous?  Should I be jealous?”  He smiled.

“Then why have you been avoiding me?”  The younger man shrugged off the hand and turned away, blinking hard, trying to fight back tears.  “You didn’t want me around, even at work!”

Steve moved to stand behind his partner, taking him by the shoulders.  “Danny, I didn’t entirely trust Eric not to use my secret against me if he felt he had to, to save his own skin.  I wasn’t about to put you in his power that way, too, so I didn’t want him to see us together any more than necessary.”

Williams whirled to face him, blue eyes blazing.  “Then why didn’t you tell me that?  Why just push me away with no explanation?” he shouted at Steve.  _“Why make me think you didn’t want me anymore?”_

“I didn’t realize you would think that!”  McGarrett gave way before his partner’s fury, turning to pace over to the lanai doors.

“Did you think you could just put me on a shelf until this case was over?  Didn’t you give _any_ consideration to how I might feel?” Danny shouted.

 “I guess I didn’t,” Steve said softly, looking into the darkness outside.  “I...I was ashamed of my relationship with Eric, and all I could think about was to keep you away from that part of my life.  I didn’t want you to know any more about it than I could help.”

“I don’t understand why you wouldn’t trust me!” Danny demanded angrily, following Steve.  “How could you think, after all we’ve been through together, that you couldn’t tell me about your past!”

McGarrett turned, on his face a mixture of anger and pain.  “What did you want me to tell you, that when I met Eric I fell head over heels in love with him?  We were complete opposites, but I was such a lovesick fool that I would have risked anything to be with him,” he said with vicious intensity.  “If it weren’t for good friends like Cathy covering for me, I might have been kicked out of the Navy, everything I’d spent my life working for down the drain, but I didn’t care as long as I could be with Eric.  Is that what you want to hear?”  he continued bitterly.

Danny stood watching him unflinchingly, his expression unreadable.

“Did you want to know that this man I’d have given my life, my career, _everything_ for, slept with someone else behind my back to advance his own career, then when I found out he just laughed, said he couldn’t be with someone so jealous, and dumped me?”  Steve’s voice was raw and there was a gleam of unshed tears under his dark lashes.  He turned away.

“Steve....” Danny said, reaching out a hand to touch his friend’s arm.

“No!  Don’t you dare feel sorry for me!  You wanted to hear this!” Steve snapped, rounding on him.  “He broke my heart!  When I got the offer to leave the Navy and become head of Five-O I jumped at the chance, just to get away from the memories!  Having to live like a monk didn’t bother me, because I was determined _never_ to make myself so vulnerable to someone again, and I succeeded until _you_ came along and slipped past my defenses by seeming to be straight until you were so important to me that I couldn’t live without you!” Steve shouted.

After the strain of the past few days and the pain of hearing Steve bare his soul, Danny couldn’t help it.  He dissolved into laughter.

 _“Why is that funny?”_

“I’m sorry, Steve, I...I know I shouldn’t laugh,” his partner began, trying to get himself back under control, “but it’s just...just so _you_ to tell me something that romantic by angrily yelling it at me at the top of your lungs.”

For a moment McGarrett looked as though he might explode.  Then he took a deep breath and relaxed, trying to suppress a smile.  “Shut up!” he growled, reaching to grab Danny by the shoulders and kissing him hard, shoving him against the lanai doors.

Danny kissed him back with equal urgency, pulling off Steve’s tie and tossing it aside and working at his shirt buttons.

Steve pinned his partner against the glass with his body, their already stiffening cocks grinding together.

Danny gasped, his fingers digging into Steve’s back under his shirt as he clung to him.

McGarrett pulled off his lover’s tie, then ripped the sides of his shirt apart, too impatient to wait for buttons.  He kissed down Danny’s chest and stomach as he undid his pants and shoved them down, then followed them with his briefs, Danny’s thick cock springing free.  Steve engulfed it with his mouth,  kneeling in front of his partner.

“Steve!” Danny cried, biting his lip as he tried not to lose control at the sensation as Steve moved on Danny’s cock, stroking him with lips, tongue, and hand, his free hand reaching lower, cupping and caressing.

As Steve did something indescribable with his tongue, Danny moaned, burying his fingers in Steve’s dark hair.  _It’s been too long, if he keeps this up I can’t last much...._   “Ah!  _Steve!_   Wait, wait, I’m going to...”  He tried to raise Steve’s head, but couldn’t wait, and came in Steve’s mouth.

Steve swallowed him, applying gentle suction as Danny filled his mouth with spurts of hot liquid.

Danny shuddered, crying out, lost in waves of pleasure so intense it bordered on pain.  When he was finally completely spent he found his legs wouldn’t support him, and he slid down the glass, helped by Steve’s strong arm, to sit on the floor.  _I’ve never felt anything that amazing,_ he thought as he came back to earth.  _But...but what will Steve think?_

“Easy, Danny,” Steve said, smiling, his arm around his partner.

“Steve, I’m so sorry.  I...I guess I lost control,” Danny said, blushing, looking down at the dark blue carpet.

“Danny, I meant for that to happen,” Steve said.  “Didn’t you enjoy it?”

“It was incredible.  I’ve never felt anything that good,” he admitted, smiling at his partner.  “But when...when it happened to me with a girl once, it wasn’t like that, and she was just mad.”

“It’s an acquired taste,” his lover said with a wink.

“Steve!”  Danny blushed.

“Now, if you think you can stand any more, I would like to do something about this,” Steve said, guiding Danny’s hand to his painfully erect cock, and leaning forward to kiss him.

 _His mouth tastes like...like my semen, I suppose.  It’s...not a bad taste, really, might take some getting used to...._ Danny thought.  He reached to unfasten Steve’s pants and slip a hand inside to grasp him, eliciting a groan.

“Mm, Danny....”

The doorbell rang.

McGarrett was instantly alert.  He quickly assessed the state they were in.  Danny was incongruously wearing his jacket over his open shirt with missing buttons.  His pants and briefs were around his ankles, Steve’s shirt and pants were undone, and his hair was a mess from Danny’s fingers.

“Who’s there?”  McGarrett demanded, helping Danny to his feet, then quickly fastening his own clothing.

“Steve, it’s Eric,” came a voice from the other side of the door.

Steve briefly covered his eyes with one hand.  _Why me?_   he thought.

When he looked up he saw that Danny was once again wearing pants.  He retrieved Danny’s tie and deftly knotted it around his neck in an attempt to hide the missing shirt buttons while Danny tried to tidy Steve’s hair with his fingers.

“It will have to do,” Steve said.  “Shall we face my past together?” he asked Danny softly, one eyebrow raised.

Danny nodded.

Steve crossed to the door and opened it.  “Eric.”

“Steve!” Eric said exuberantly, standing on the doorstep in the gray pinstripe suit.  “Here, I brought a bottle of champagne,” he said, handing it to McGarrett.  “I thought we could toast old times and celebrate my release from durance vile.”

“I’m sorry, Eric, but I’m afraid I already have company,” Steve told him, taking a step back and gesturing towards his partner.  “You’ve met Dan Williams, of course.”

“Of course,” Eric said, looking amused.  “I’m sorry if I interrupted anything.”  He looked pointedly around the room, taking in the still-visible bulge in Steve’s pants, the ruffled state of his hair, Danny’s damaged shirt, and the fact that Steve’s tie was draped over the lamp where it had landed as a result of Danny’s toss.

 _Oops, missed the tie,_ Steve thought, closing the door and setting the bottle down on the coffee table.

“So, Danny Williams,” Eric said, sauntering over to look him up and down, unfazed by his expression.  “I thought so, despite your protestations to the contrary.  The faithful second-in-command.  With emphasis on the ‘faithful’ this time, I suppose,” he said, turning to look at his ex-lover.

“You never did understand the value of loyalty, Eric,” McGarrett told him.

“I’m afraid you’re right.  One of my many character failings, and the reason you and I could never live happily ever after, my dear Steve.  But tell me,” he said, crossing to where Steve stood and resting a hand on his arm, “in the face of all this stalwart reliability,” he cast a glance at Danny, “Don’t you ever miss dating a, shall we say, free spirit?”

“No,” McGarrett said flatly, removing Eric’s hand.

“You can’t deny it was exciting.”  Eric slid an arm around Steve’s waist and leaned over his shoulder to say into his ear,  “What about the sex?  You can’t tell me you don’t miss the sex.”

“No, I don’t miss the sex.”  Steve extricated himself and moved to join Danny, who was standing in front of the coffee table with his arms crossed, glaring at Eric.

“We took crazy risks, but you know Steve, when he wants something, he wants it right away,” Eric said to Danny, coming to stand on his other side and leaning close.  “Supply closets, empty conference rooms....”

“Eric,” Steve said warningly.

“...the best time was on the lanai of our hotel room overlooking a parade.  I was leaning over the railing, with Steve taking me from behind, while the girls on the floats waved to us....”

“Eric!  _That’s enough!_ ” Steve snapped, stepping around Danny to interpose himself between Eric and his partner.

Danny felt himself blushing at the mental image.

“Sorry, Steve, too much for his innocent ears?” Eric smiled, taking a step back from the irate head of Five-O, and turning away.  I didn’t figure you for a cradle-robber, but I guess you always did have to be in control.”

“You know, you have a lot of nerve!” Danny said angrily.  “You really hurt Steve back then, but you turn up and ask for his help anyway, he gives it to you, and now you come here to cause trouble?”

“I’m sorry,” Eric said, turning to sweep them a half-bow.  “I actually came here to thank Steve properly, but I’m afraid your presence put an end to that.  Unless you’d care for a threesome?”  He smiled suggestively.

“Eric,” Steve ground out, taking a step towards him.  “It’s been lovely seeing you again, but....”

“But, get out.  OK, Steve,” the blonde man said.  He addressed Danny, his tone serious now.  “Please, be good to Steve.  God knows, I wasn’t always...but he’s special.”

“He is to me,” Danny said, glaring at Eric.

“I’ll leave you the champagne as a peace offering,” Eric said, opening the door.  “Goodbye, Steve.”  The door closed.

Steve sat down on the sofa and put a hand over his eyes.  “I’m sorry about that, Danny.”

“Steve, like I told you, I don’t care if you have a past.  Even if it’s Eric.  All I care about is that you trust me enough not to leave me in the dark!”

“Danny....” Steve said, with a fond smile.

Danny came to join McGarrett on the sofa.  “Hey, you got it a new pot!” he said, noticing the African violet he had bought Steve on the end table, now ensconced in a brown-glazed ceramic container.  He looked at the library book on the table next to it.  “ _The Care and Feeding of African Violets,_ huh?”

“I wouldn’t want to kill plants,” Steve said, sheepishly.

Danny held up the champagne bottle, reading the label.  “This is pretty expensive stuff.”

“Eric always did appreciate the finer things,” his partner commented dryly.

“Too bad you don’t drink.”

“Go ahead and open it,” Steve said.  “I’ll have a drink with you, Danno.”  He stood and fetched two saucer-shaped glasses from the kitchen.

Danny was struggling with the cork.  “I’m sorry, I’m generally a beer drinker,” he muttered.  Finally, it popped out with a sharp report, showering Danny’s pants with a fountain of liquid.  He sighed, attempting to dry his lap with his handkerchief.  “This is not a good night for my clothing.”

Steve poured champagne into glasses, handed one to Danny, and sat next to him on the sofa.  “To the future,” he said, clinking his glass against Danny’s and taking a sip, then setting the glass on the table and leaning back.

A gust of wind blew in through the open lanai door, billowing the curtains and ruffling Steve’s hair.

When Steve turned to look at Danny, he flushed and looked down at his glass.

McGarrett raised an eyebrow.  “Penny for your thoughts?”

“I was just thinking how handsome you look with the wind in your hair,” his partner admitted.

“You’ll make me blush.”

“I’m afraid you should be with someone who looks like Eric, not someone ordinary like me.”  Danny was still studying his glass intently.

“Did you just describe yourself as looking _ordinary?_ ” Steve asked, smiling at him.  “Danny, I find it impossible to believe that you have managed to reach this point in life without ever looking in a mirror or seeing the effect you have on people.”

“You’re biased, Steve,” Danny smiled briefly.

“Have you ever had trouble getting women to go out with you?” his partner demanded.

“Well, no, but....”

“Why do you think I send you undercover so often?  One look from those innocent blue eyes would melt anyone, your smile lights up a whole room, and your mouth just cries out to be kissed.”  Steve put his arm around Danny’s shoulders and leaned over to do so.

“Do you have any idea how often I imagined doing that after you came to work for Five-O?  I wondered if I had made a mistake in hiring you, because it was too distracting having you in front of me every day.  I fantasized about undressing you, sweeping everything off my desk, and making love to you right there.  Or on the office floor, the couch, the bookcase...I don’t think there’s a piece of furniture in my office that I haven’t pictured you on naked.”

“Steve, I never had any idea....”

“I tried never to think of it while you were there, since I was afraid you would guess.  But at night, when I was working alone...well, sometimes I was glad I have a private washroom.”

“I can’t believe that all the time I was...I was thinking about you, you were doing the same,” Danny said, looking embarrassed.

“Did it bother you, being attracted to a man?” Steve asked, curious.

“At first I didn’t think about it.  I mean, I...I admired you, and if you think your hero is good looking, that doesn’t seem strange, does it?  And, well, you just _are,_ objectively speaking.  But then I started to notice little things...I’d be sitting in the car next to you and catch myself looking at how your hair falls over your forehead, or the strength of your hands on the steering wheel, or the little squint lines at the corner of your eye, and thinking how I’d like to kiss you there....”

“Here I thought you were thinking about the case when we were in the car,” McGarrett said, smiling.

“Not always,” Danny admitted sheepishly.  “What really bothered me, though, was the first time I dreamed about you.”

“What was I doing?”  Steve asked, eyebrow raised.

“You had called me into the office on a Sunday afternoon, and there was no one else there, and...and, well...we...we started...well...making out...and...undressing, and touching each other...and then I woke up with the sheets all sticky.  I...I was completely shocked.  I wondered what the heck was _wrong_ with me.  You have no idea how hard it was to face you at work the next day.  But then I started thinking, and I realized that I had been looking at you...differently...for a while.  And then Trinian shot you, and I...well, I knew then that you were important to me in a way that no woman ever had been.  I...when poor Jane was killed...it was awful, but it didn’t feel like my whole world had ended.  When you were shot....”  Danny took refuge in drinking his champagne.

“I felt the same way when Auston shot you,” Steve admitted.

“It sure hurt a lot, but on the whole, getting shot was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Danny said, looking up at Steve and smiling.

“Danny!  I’m sorry it took that to make me stop torturing both of us.  Now,” he said, leaning over and kissing Danny again, “shall we take up again where we left off when we were so rudely interrupted?”

“Wait...Steve, what Eric said about sex....”

 _I’m going to hunt Eric down and strangle him,_ Steve thought.  “Ignore what Eric said about sex,” he said.  “We were young and stupid, and he was just trying to get a rise out of me.”

“But, well, you know the pictures we had to look through, from the pornographer’s place?  I...I never really thought about the...the things that two guys....”

“Kono told me you were upset.  I saw the pictures you were looking at.  Danny, we never have to do anything like that if you don’t want to.”

“What...what if I do want to?  I didn’t run out of the room because I was upset,” Danny said quietly.

“What?  Oh....” Steve said.  “So, you want to try...what they were doing in the pictures?”

“Yes,” Danny said, looking down, his voice almost inaudible.  “Does...does it hurt?”

“It can, but if we’re careful, and take it slowly, it can be extremely pleasurable.  For both parties.”

“Steve...I want to feel you...inside me....”

Steve clenched his hands.  _Take it easy.  You_ have _to go slow, be gentle, or you’re going to hurt him.  But, God, when he says things like that...._   Steve took the glass from Danny’s hands and set it on the table, then took him by the hand.  “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

In the bedroom Steve pulled Danny to him and kissed him.  He slipped Danny’s jacket off, then removed his tie and undid his remaining shirt buttons, as Danny likewise undressed Steve.  When they stood naked together, their hard cocks rubbing against each other as they kissed, Steve led Danny to the bed and sat him on the edge.

For the second time that evening, Steve took Danny’s cock into his mouth. “Mm...you taste like champagne....” he commented.

This time Steve stopped as he felt Danny building towards a climax, climbing into bed with him.

“What...what should I do?” Danny asked.

“Lie on your back for now, and bend your knees.  I’m going to use my fingers first,” Steve said, kissing him as he reached across for the lubricant in the nightstand drawer.  He returned his mouth to Danny’s cock, fondling his balls with one hand.  He slid one lubricated finger of the other hand back to probe gently at Danny’s tightly puckered asshole.  He slid his fingertip inside, eliciting a noise from Danny.

“Just relax your muscles,” Steve told him, increasing the tempo of his mouth.  He gently pushed, working his finger deeper until it was buried to the knuckle.  Then he began to stroke it in and out.

Danny gasped.

“Are you OK?” Steve asked.  “Do you want me to stop?”

“No...don’t...don’t stop, Steve...ah!...that feels good....”

Steve raised his head.  “Ready, Danny?”

Danny nodded.

“OK, this will probably work best if you lie on your side.”

Danny complied, and Steve moved to lie behind him.  With one hand he stroked Danny, while with the other he positioned his well-lubricated cock against Danny’s ass. “Stop me if it hurts,” he said into Danny’s ear.

Steve pushed gently.

“Ow...Steve, wait....”

“Easy, Danny.  Just relax.”  Steve stopped until he felt Danny’s muscles relax a bit, then tried again, until he had worked the head of his penis inside.  “Doing OK?” he asked.

“Ye...yes,” Danny said through clenched teeth.

Steve continued gently working himself into Danny’s ass.  _God, he’s tight.  Slowly, Steve, slowly...._

Finally, Steve’s length was entirely inside.  He waited a minute for Danny to get used to the feeling, stroking his cock and teasing his earlobe with teeth and tongue.  Then Steve started to move.

“Ow, ow, ow...wait....” Danny reached back to grab Steve’s hip.

Steve stopped, continuing his ministrations to Danny’s erect shaft.

“OK,” Danny said, moving his hips a bit.

Steve groaned.  _I should have come before trying this.  It’s been too long and he’s too tight, and I don’t know how long I can keep my control._   He started gently sliding out and then back in, just a bit at first, then farther, in a building rhythm.  _God, that feels good...._

Steve moved faster.

Danny made a sound.  His hands were clenched in the bedcovers, and his shoulders were tensed.

 _Damn it, I know I’m hurting him.  I have to slow down._   Steve bit down on his lip hard and slowed his motions.  “Do...do you want me to stop?”

“No...don’t stop...I’m...I’m OK....” Danny managed, breathing hard.

Steve continued to stroke in and out, moving faster, in unison with his hand.  _Just a bit more...._ “Ah!”  He thrust harder.

Danny groaned and came, covering Steve’s hand with sticky warmth.

The feeling of Danny’s muscles contracting around Steve’s cock sent him over the edge, and he buried himself to the hilt in Danny’s ass as he delivered his load.  He collapsed, gasping, holding Danny close.

Steve gradually came back to himself.  _Oh, God, what did I do?_ He slid out of Danny as gently as possible.  He felt a bit sore from the friction, and knew Danny must hurt worse.  “Danny, are you OK?”

Danny rolled over to face Steve, wincing slightly.  “I’m OK.”  He managed a half smile.

 _I blew it,_ thought Steve.  _He trusted me, and I lost control and hurt him._ “I’m so sorry.”

“Steve,” Danny said, raising a hand to caress Steve’s face.  “It’s OK.  I’m sure it will get easier with practice.”

“You mean...you don’t mind trying again?”

“It hurt, but I also...well...I enjoyed it.”

“Danny....”  Steve kissed him tenderly on the mouth.

“Steve, you’re bleeding,” Danny said, concerned.

Steve touched his bitten lip.  “It’s nothing.”

He pulled Danny close.  “Any time you want to practice, just let me know,” he said softly.

“Mm.  I look forward to that,” Danny said, resting his head on Steve’s shoulder.

“To the future,” Steve said.

“To the future.”


End file.
